Senate President Godswill Akpabio says the Senate did not abolish electronic transmission of election results. Instead, lawmakers retained the provision as contained in the 2022 Electoral Act.
Speaking on Saturday in Abuja at a book launch, Akpabio clarified that electronic transmission remains permitted under the law. However, the Senate removed the phrase real time.
He said the adjustment was made to avoid legal and technical disputes that could arise during elections. According to him, strict wording might trigger court challenges if there is a network or power failure.
“If you say real time and there is a network or grid failure, when you go to court somebody will say it ought to have been real time,” Akpabio said.
He added that the decision gives the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, flexibility to determine how results are transmitted, taking into account technological and security realities.
Former Senate President David Mark reacted by saying the National Assembly should allow INEC to decide whether election results are transmitted electronically. He noted that the African Democratic Congress supports electronic transmission.
The clarification follows public criticism of the Senate’s recent passage of the Electoral Act Amendment Bill 2026. Lawmakers rejected a proposal that would have made real time electronic transmission of polling unit results mandatory.
Instead, the Senate retained the existing provision allowing INEC to transmit results in a manner it considers appropriate.
